Product regulation

Contact: Gavin Reese and Dorothy Flower

Product regulation

The EU's General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)

The EU's new GPSR has made its way into the EU statutory books and will take effect from 13 December 2024. This legislation repeals the outdated General Product Safety Directive and the Directive on Food-Imitating Products. With a new legal framework for non-food consumer products and changes addressing the challenges posed by new technology, many business and online marketplaces will be impacted. Manufacturers will need more detailed safety assessments and online marketplaces will encounter requirements for dealing with potentially dangerous goods being sold on their platforms. Supervisory authorities will be granted the power of issuing new orders carrying penalties for non-compliance.

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Supply chain sustainability: new rules, new risks

With the the Corporate Sustainability and Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) coming into force, all companies operating in the EU over a certain size are obligated to address the environmental and human rights harms in their supply chains. This may have a huge impact on the food and drink sector. Although rules aren't set to kick in 2027, businesses should start laying the groundwork now to ensure they will comply.

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Product regulation

Updates to the EU's Product Liability Directive (PLD)

The EU's PLD has expanded to cover digital technology. Once approved by the European Commission, this will become law, impacting businesses by mid-2026. The existing Directive has become out of date due to ongoing advances in technology, meaning there has been a shift in what is considered a "product", especially those which incorporate AI and digital services.

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The Product Safety and Metrology etc (Amendment) Regulations to come into force 1 October 2024

The Product Safety and Metrology Bill is due to provide businesses with more flexibility in a post-Brexit landscape. The regulations will include the continuation of the CE safety mark in the UK, meaning businesses will have the choice of marking products to be sold in Great Britain with either CE or UKCA. The expiry date of certain EU requirements surrounding goods has also been scrapped, meaning that EU requirements for products on the British market will continue to be recognised.

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OPSS publishes report on e-bike and e-scooter fires

On 27 August 2024, the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) published a report presenting statistics on fires in e-bikes and e-scooters and related products using information reported to OPSS. Product safety risks associated with these products relate primarily to fire and explosion risk from the lithium-ion batteries they use, and the OPSS has worked with others across the government to understand the root cause of these fires and is taking action to reduce harm.

The report is designed to provide a picture of the types of fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters notified to OPSS for 2022-2023.

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